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Canadian farming has evolved under the influence of climate and weather – a process that continues with climate change. In farming systems across the country, effective risk management is necessary to deal with drought, flooding, and extreme weather, and to adapt to altered climate and weather conditions. Unfortunately, climate change risks and opportunities are not always well understood among researchers and policy makers in the Canadian agri-food sector. This book addresses that gap. Farming in a Changing Climate provides a wide-ranging synopsis of what climate change means for Canadian agriculture, explores different approaches to the topic, and presents examples of current research. It covers all agricultural regions and a wide variety of commodity production and farming systems. Comments from agricultural producers and policy makers add a practical component to the book and emphasize the value of the applied research. This comprehensive survey synthesizes twenty years of research on climate change and Canadian agriculture. The book will be of interest to scholars in environmental studies, geography, and sociology; policy analysts and policy makers; and representatives of the agri-food industry. ... Read more

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Dealing with the world environmental crisis, with special reference to Kerala, it discusses at length Kerala's geographical setting, its environmental resource base, its macro and micro ecological zones, and causes of concern such as changes in landuse and landscape ecology. ... Read more

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This important new book addresses the prospects for reconciling economic competitiveness with sustainable development.It shows that we cannot simply assume that changes in public attitudes, business policies and government regulation will guarantee the conditions for long-term ecological, social and economic sustainability.

On the basis of new original case studies, the authors consider corporate environmental strategies, technological change and sustainability, and sustainable development as a social partnership between firms, citizens and government.They suggest that competitiveness must be considered as a dynamic process requiring proactive and reactive adjustments by business and government institutions all working towards sustainability.

Sustainability and Firms combines intellectual rigor with accessibility tocommunicate fundamental ideas to help policy decision makers, enterprise managers, environmental scientists and economists grapple effectively with the problems of competitiveness, technological change, strategies of firms, governance and sustainable development. ... Read more

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Ireland is now an urban society, and both parts of the island have experienced rapid urban-generated growth and new patterns of development in recent years. This inter-disciplinary book adopts an all-Ireland perspective to investigate the tension that exists between sustainable urban development values and rhetoric - such as increased densities, brown field development, the compact city and social inclusion - and the emerging geography of urban Ireland, influenced by consumer and lifestyle choices. The introduction provides an overview of the dynamics of urban change, particularly during the 1990s, and the experience of rapid economic growth. The following chapters are divided into two parts, considering sustainable urban environments, and sustainable communities. This book will appeal to students, academics, policy and decision-makers, given that it adopts both a qualitative and quantitative approach, and introduces a range of new empirical studies covering both physical and social sustainable development. ... Read more

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With half of the world’s population now living in urban areas, and rapid urbanization continuing apace, it is essential that the growth of urban areas is supported by the development of adequate and sustainable infrastructure. This work offers comprehensive coverage of critical issues on the highway and urban environment which are key to understanding sustainability in the world's expanding urban areas.

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This comprehensive new book, Agricultural Health and Safety, provides extensive coverage of issues arising in the interrelated fields of health, agriculture, and the environment. The significance of this book is a direct result of the increasing number of health and safety issues in agriculture and its associated industries. It contains sections written by experts, and includes papers presented at the Third International Symposium for Issues in Health, Agriculture and the Environment. Topics include lung disease in farmers, respiratory effects of long-term exposure to grain dust and air contaminants, respiratory hazards of pork producers, occupational asthma, allergic disorders in plant growers, allergic rhinitis in farmers, respiratory effects of inhaled endotoxins, organic dust toxic syndrome, cancer risks, hazards of pesticides, neurological risks, work-related accidents, prevention and safe practice, sustainable farming systems, and more. In all cases, the issues are broadly integrated with those of the environment.No other book presents such a broad perspective of the field. ... Read more

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Women as Australian Citizens examines the long histories of citizenship for Australian women of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, showing how gender, far from being irrelevant, has been central to constructions of the concept of citizenship. Hence citizenship has been masculinized, and women's citizenly activities marginalized. This challenging and original work problematises the concept of citizenship' and the unstated assumptions infusing it. ... Read more

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This book contains the papers presented at the Sixth International Conference on Urban Regeneration and Sustainability, held in A Coruña, Spain, April 14-16, 2010. The organizers of the conference, building on the work of the late Nobel Prize Winner Ilya Prigogine, view cities as complex self-adapting systems. The Conference thus addresses the many inter-related aspects of the urban environment, from transport and mobility to social exclusion and crime prevention. The meeting builds on the contributions made in five previous successful conferences, which provided an international view of the problems facing modern cities and their solutions. Urban areas produce a series of environmental problems arising from the consumption of natural resources and the consequent generation of waste and pollution. All of these problems contribute to the development of social and economic imbalances and, since they continue to grow in our society, they require the development of new solutions. ... Read more

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At the Edge is a rich and evocative call to action at a time when new ideas are urgently needed. Mandatory reading for policy analysts and decision makers in the public, private, and volunteer sectors, it will be equally useful to scholars, teachers, students, and others interested in creating sustainable societies. Throughout the world, biophysical evidence is mounting that human growth and activity patterns are slowly destroying the earth. This ecological deterioration is accompanied by similar social and economic decline, with potentially grave consequences for the continued existence of human societies.

Yet, as Ann Dale compassionately argues, it is not too late to take action. Hope lies in sustainable development -- the fundamental human imperative of the 21st century. Sustainable development, in Dale's view, is the process of reconciling three imperatives: the ecological, the social, and the economic. Equitable access to resources in all three spheres is fundamental to the global realization of sustainable development. This will not be realized without strong leadership by governments at all levels. Ultimately needed is a new framework for governance based on human responsibility and a recognition of the interconnectedness of human and natural systems. ... Read more

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It might, at first glance, seem to many that industry and ecology make strange bedfellows. For proponents of sustainable development, however, such a union is crucial. How else are we to make the industries that are so central to modern societies consistent with our visions of a sustainable future?

Linking Industry and Ecology explores the origins, promise, and relevance of the emerging field of industrial ecology. It situates industrial ecology within the broader range of environmental management strategies and concepts, from the practices of pollution prevention through life cycle management, to the more fundamental shift toward dematerialization and ecological design. The book makes a compelling argument for the need to think ecologically to develop innovative and competitive industrial policy.

The contributors to this volume draw on their experience in a variety of disciplines to chart a clear path for industrial ecology. Their work not only affirms what has been learned to date in this nascent field but also provides new insight for a discourse traditionally dominated by natural scientists and engineers, by demonstrating that technologies are socially and politically embedded.

This book will be of interest to educators and students in environmental studies, business management, environmental and industrial engineering, and environmental planning. While many of the examples are drawn from Canada, it will also appeal to readers interested in fostering ecologically sustainable industrial and community development in other industrializing and industrialized nations. ... Read more

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This volume provides a rigorous and analytical perspective onthe pressing issue of making economic progress consistent withenvironmental conservation. It proposes formal definitions ofsustainability, embeds them in dynamic models and models ofuncertainty, and explores the concepts and their implications. Itpresents a wide-ranging approach to formalizing sustainability andbringing it within the realm of economic theory. Environmental sustainability of growth depends on the interactionsbetween the biosphere and the process of economic growth. The analysisof the dynamics of such a complex system requires the use ofsophisticated dynamic methods in order to take account of the mostrelevant implications for social welfare, such as the relationshipbetween economics and ethics, intergenerational distribution ofresources, and the impact of economic policy on environmentalconservation. The complexity of the object of the analysis involves a high degree ofuncertainty coupled with a serious risk of irreversibility of theconsequences of present decisions. Therefore, environmental risks areoften very difficult to analyze and control. These problems may befaced and solved only by developing new ideas and approaches, some ofwhich are explored in this book. ... Read more

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How deep is the corporate commitment to the environment? And what changes in corporate strategy and policy are necessary in the journey to sustainability? Carl Frankel deftly and lucidly gathers the pieces of the puzzle together into a single, comprehensive volume accessible to a wide range of readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Thoughtful and informative
Whether you believe the greening of business is hype and greenwash, or that businesses are starting to play an important role in hastening thecoming ecological age, In Earth's Company provides a good overview of thesuccesses, failures, and challenges of corporate environmentalism.

AuthorCarl Frankel is the North American editor for Tomorrow magazine, a slickglossy publication from Sweden that is one of the better periodicalscovering developments in business and the environment. Frankel makes gooduse of his broad knowledge of current events in environmental managementand his book is full of stories and examples that go beyond the usualextremes of either finger pointing or hero worship.

Frankel does notattempt to demonstrate the overwhelming decline in global life supportsystems. He accepts that this has been well documented in many other placesand focuses on how businesses have reacted to this overwhelming drivingforce.

Why are major corporations now starting to consider integratingsustainability into their strategies and operations? To answer thisquestion requires an understanding of the four eras of corporateenvironmentalism

The first era of corporate environmentalism was the eraof barebones regulatory compliance. Simply complying with the growing arrayof environmental laws developed in the 1960s and 70s kept corporateenvironmental management fully occupied.

After environmental catastrophessuch as the release of 57,000 litres of methyl isocyanate from a UnionCarbide plant into the air in Bhopal, India that killed and injuredthousands, companies felt extreme pressure to disclose more to theirstakeholders. The second era of increased disclosure began.

Out ofincreased disclosure, public accountability increased and companies beganto make voluntary commitments to go "beyond compliance," thedefining characteristic of the current third era of corporateenvironmentalism.

The fourth era of corporate environmentalism is justbeginning. To achieve it, bigger, more creative, higher-level thinking -systems-level thinking - is required. Businesses have generally taken anarrow view of the nature and implications of sustainable development.Frankel believes that this needs to change before corporations can developtruly effective sustainability strategies. The key challenge is educational- a matter of changing mental models.

Tracing the evolution of four erasof corporate environmentalism, Frankel concludes that the businesscommunity may be on a sustainability trajectory it isn't quite aware of. Ihope he is right. According to Frankel, the transition to the fourth era ofcorporate environmentalism is linked to the death of modernism and thetransition to a post-modern, post-industrial culture. Drawing parallels tothe dawn of the industrial age, we know something large and significant ishappening, we're just not sure what the outcome will be.

Frankel callsfor a new humanism - a new appreciation of the qualitative "depthdimension" of experience. The business axiom of "what getsmeasured gets managed" ignores the converse that what isn't measured(e.g. soulfulness, connectedness, meaning, artistry, etc.) gets discountedand ignored.

Frankel acknowledges the need for radical change. He tracesthe rise of green consumerism and the challenge of creating a consumermovement that puts sustained pressure on the corporate community to createmeaningful change. At the same time, he is disturbed that what were oncecalled "members of the public" or, better yet,"citizens," are now referred to as consumers. This is a symptomof a society whose underlying theme is "I buy, therefore I am."We need to become green citizens, not green consumers. The difference isone of underlying ideology versus passing issue.

Finally, Frankel arguesthat many of the concepts and technologies for creating a sustainablefuture have already been developed and are in place. He points to exampleslike zero waste design concepts that have produced fabric-dyeing factorieswhere the water effluent is cleaner than the water brought in. Someinnovative companies are leasing their products so that they sell a service(e.g. "cold beer") rather than a product (the refrigerator). Thischanges the cost of ownership drastically and more durable products andmany other environmental innovations become economic. Micro-credit can helpaddress some of the social justice and equity issues of sustainability.Other useful concepts include The Natural Step, and "Factor Four"that envisions a four-fold increase in material and energyefficiency.

According to Frankel, it is not a question of if we will makethe transition to a sustainable society but when? "Will we continue tolimp and stagger toward sustainability, with the cultural and politicalmainstream largely oblivious to the urgency of the challenge? Or will we atsome point, ... display the collective wit and will to commit massiveresources to accelerating the transition into a more sustainable industrialculture?"

In Earth's Company is a thoughtful and informative pieceabout the history and current status of environment and sustainabilitywithin the business world. It covers a lot of ground and provides anaccurate view of some of the key challenges facing those who see a role andopportunity for businesses in creating a more sustainable world.

With aforeword by leading author and environmentalist Paul Hawken as well asendorsements from a broad range of greeneratti including Hazel Henderson,David Korten and architect Bill McDonough, In Earth's Company is sure towin "must read" status within the corporate sustainability niche.It deserves to be read by a much broader audience and could make a solidcontribution to a richer and better informed dialogue involving business,governments and citizens.

Change the way you think about sustainability--PERMANENTLY
I am not in the green-business or even the business field, and this book blew my mind. It presents a brilliant, provocative view of sustainability as an idea and a practice in the very real world of business. Mr. Frankel'sperspective is illuminating both in its practical implications and its farreaching challenges to the way we live, think and create our future. Thisbook has permanently changed the way I think about sustainability in mylife and work. ... Read more

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The Spiritualist movement had its beginnings in the United States in the late 1840s and within a few years had spread to Australia. With its séances, mediums, trances, `magnetizers', table-tilting and other mysterious psychic phenomena, it attracted media frenzy and public furor, but also many deeply serious converts-often highly intelligent and talented people who rejected orthodox religion in favor of scientific rationalism, but were still vitally concerned with moral debates. One of them was the young Alfred Deakin, later to become Prime Minister. In this fascinating history, Gabay explores the origins of the Spiritualist movement and relates its rise and fall to the wider intellectual and religious currents in colonial Australian society. ... Read more

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The way in which our society exists, operates and develops is strongly influenced by the way in which energy is produced and consumed. No process in Industry can be performed without sufficient supply of energy, and without Industry there can be no production of commodities on which the existence of modern Society depends. The energy systems evolved over a long period and more rapidly over the last two centuries, as a response to the requirements of Industry and Society, starting from combustion of fuels to exploiting nuclear energy and renewable resources. It is clear that the evolution of the energy systems is a continuous process, which involves constant technological development and innovation. The presentation on the Second International Conference includes: Renewable Energy Technologies; Energy Management; Energy Polices; Energy and the Environment; Energy Analysis; Energy Efficiency; Energy Storage and Management. ... Read more

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Environmental sustainability and social justice are both widely regarded as desirable social objectives. Professor Dobson's powerful new study explores the relationship between these two objectives and concludes that radical environmental demands are only incompletely served by couching them in terms of justice. ... Read more